frankmorris's Blog

UPDATE: As of 7 p.m. eastbound traffic is moving freely across the bridges to Hilton Head. The backup is history.

ORIGINAL POST: Don't try heading to Hilton Head from Bluffton right now. As of 6:25 p.m. today (Mon.) eastbound traffic on U.S. 278 has stopped for a wreck on the bridges to Hilton Head and is backing up. Traffic began slowing around 6:15.
Flashing blue lights appear to be coming from around Pinckney Island between the twin-span bridges.
County transportation yellow warning lights on U.S. 278 are flashing for approaching vehicles.

“Upset” and “low turnout” are the words to mark the Nov. 3, 2009, Bluffton Town Council election. Here are the unofficial returns and an uncut, updated version of my election coverage running in Wednesday’s Bluffton Today print edition. (This blogged story’s precincts turnout summary includes a late-night typo correction from the elections office for the Bluffton 5 precinct.

Here's Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson's Wed., July 15, news release on national health care legislation. He says the bill from Democrats will hurt small businesses "with taxes and mandates." The statement is shy on figures.

OCRM won’t be calling a public hearing on Beaufort County's permit applications to impact 10.3 acres of wetlands for extension of the Bluffton Parkway east to the bridges to Hilton Head Island. Demonstrated interest was too low.

Four people asked for a hearing, 16 shy of the required 20 minimum needed by Sunday’s deadline. A request by one government official would have triggered a hearing, but no official asked for one, state environmental officials report.

Do you have thoughts on the project that’s designed to head off traffic congestion?

(June 23 update: There will not be a public hearing on Beaufort County's permit applications to impact 10.3 acres of wetlands for extension of the Bluffton Parkway east to the bridges to Hilton Head Island. Not enough interest was demonstrated.

A cover story in the Friday, April 10, Bluffton Today edition on Bluffton town government’s reorganization promises the posting here of a memo by Deputy Town Manager Tim Bennett about the revamp. Here it is. -- Frank Morris, Bluffton Today reporter/cover story editor

Town reorganization memo by Tim Bennett

Budget-wise, we approached the impact of the current economic downturn on two tracks:

1. First, we cut the budget by approximately 10 percent. Secondly and concurrently, we reorganized ourselves internally to become more efficient in how we do business.

NOTE: This is the uncut version of a story published in the Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009, issue of Bluffton Today. It restores quotes from Jacob Preston (in the middle) and oystermen Thomas Polite and Sidney Morris (at the end) that editing sacrificed for a space shortage in the print edition.

I was lucky to enough watch Barack Obama sworn in as president, give his inaugural address and be with I'm guessing more than a million people on the National Mall -- it was filled from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, end to end - witnessing a historic event.

My wife, Debbie, accompanied me and helped negotiate our route. (Go to "frankmorris' blog" link at www.blufftontoday.com/blog/289 to see photos I took en route and on the Mall and sent to copy editor Aaron Kidd for posting with blogs.